File cabinet



G. E. WATKINS May 3, 1938.

FILE CABINET man@ N1@ N. @E mi Wk W W Vm Q u Patented May 3, 1938 FILE CABINET George E. Watkins, Tonawanda, N. Y., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y.

Application May 1, 1936, serial No.' 77,366

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a tilting front for a file drawer.

The invention comprehends the construction of furniture, such as a filing cabinet having a drawer or a plurality of drawers provided with a tilting front adapted for movement into tilted position when the drawer is withdrawn and having mechanism operated during movement of the drawer into the cabinet for moving the front from tilted position'to an upright position to close the drawer opening in the cabinet.

The inventionprovides a mechanism for moving the drawer front from tilted toupright .position that is progressively operated with the progressive movement of the drawer from its withdrawn position to its housed position inthe cabinet and secures an unusual ease of operation of the drawer front progressively with the movement of the drawer during its operation.

'Ihe invention further comprehends improvements in the construction of the front end portion of the drawer and the mounting ofv the tiltable front on the front end so that its tilting may be limited, and the mounting structure for the drawer front constructed to cooperate with the front end of the drawer to prevent saggingY of the drawer structure in its normal use, `and provide for the cooperation of the front operating mechanism in securing movement of the drawer front to an upright positionduring the position to the upright position to align the'.

sealing means on the drawer front with the complementary sealing means on the cabinet for sealing the contents of the drawer and the compartment against external heat in the closed position of the drawer.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal cross section through a cabinet constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the drawer in elevation with portions of the drawer front broken away and shown in section, the drawer'being in its extended position out of the cabinet.

Fig.- 2 is a horizontal cross 4section through a cabinet showing the drawer in extended position as illustrated in Fig. 1, the drawer being shown in elevation and portions being broken away to illustrate some of the details of construction. 1

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the drawer shown in housed position and the drawer front in closed position.

Fig. 4 shows a drawer constructed-in accordance with the invention in perspective, with the drawer front in tilted position.

Fig. 5 shows the cam member carried by the cabinet in perspective.

Fig. 6 shows a lock I'nechanismv in perspective.

It is to be understood that this invention is applicable to ling cabinets of all kinds as well as other types of furniture using drawers, where it is desirable to have the drawer front move into a forwardly extending position whenthe drawer is withdrawn from its casing. For the purpose of illustration the invention is shown as being applied to a heat insulated iile cabinet comprising a. casing I having an inner fire-resistant lining 2 formed to provide a drawer compartment for receiving and housing a drawer 3 in the compartment. is formed with sealing means in the form of projections 4 and grooves 5 surrounding the opening into the compartment. The drawings illustrate a fragment of a ling cabinet suicient to show one drawer compartment and one drawer, and it is to be understood that the invention may be used on cabinets or other pieces of furniture having either a single drawer or multiple drawers. The drawer compartments may be independent of one -another and separated by partitions as indicated in the drawings or any other desired form of construction may be used.

Drawer guides 6 having drawer and c'asing carried parts of conventional design may be used for mounting drawer 3 for free movement into and out of the compartment in the casing. The drawer guides are constructed to support the drawer in its withdrawn or extended position out of the casing as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in a manner well known in the art. 4Drawer guides 6 may be mounted in the cabinet in the manner shown in the patent to Wolters 1,904,912, patented April 18, 1933, or in any other appropriate manner depending upon the type of cabinet construction with which the invention is associated.

'I'he drawer 3 has side walls l and bottom wall ual 8 provided with a central channel 9 of the form to receive the tabs on the lower end of guide cardsV and increase the rigidity of the drawer. central longitudinal portion of the sheet metal bottom of the drawer downwardly.

- At the front end a frame member II) has a central portion I I engaging the upper face of drawer bottom 8 along the front margin and upwardly extending portions I2 at opposite ends of portion II engaging the inside front marginal portion of side walls 'I throughout the lower portion of the side walls. The -frame member is formed from a-single strip of material and the opposite ends The forward end of the le cabinet- Channel El is formed 'by offsetting the- Hinge plates Ilare formed with oiset central portions I5 to provide the plates with substantial rigidity and have the forward edges formed with cylindrical portions to receive a hinge pin carrying hinge plate-I6 on tiltabie drawer front I'I to hinge. the front on the drawer. Hinge plates I 4 are mounted on the forward edge of drawer bottom 8 at opposite sides of channel 9. Hinge plates Il and frame member` Ill are spot'welded, or secured in some other suitable manner, permanently to the sheet metal bottom and sides of the drawer and cooperate to prevent sagging and distortion of the front portion of the drawer and carry the load imposed on the drawer by its contents including tiltable front I'I.

Tiltable front II has a sheet metal outer covering I8 and an inner lining ofinsulating material I9. Sealing means including projections 28 and grooves 2| isprovided around the marginal portions of drawer front I'I complementary to the sealing means on the cabinet, so that when the drawer front is in the closed upright position as shown in Fig. 3 the sealing means will cooperate to eiectively seaLthe joints between the drawer front and the cabinet and exclude external heat and re from the compartment in the cabinet to preserve the contents against destruction. A handle 22 is provided on the drawer front I `I in the usual manner so that the drawer may be manually moved on the drawer guides 6 into the outer position shown in Fig. 1 or inner position shown in Fig. 3.

Brackets 23 are mounted on opposite sides of drawer front -I'I and extend rearwardly-from the drawer front in substantially perpendicular relation. The front portions of the brackets where they are secured to the drawer front are offset fromthe remaining portions as clearly shown in the drawings, while the rear edges of the brackets terminate in angular relation to the front edges. The rear ends of the brackets are formed with laterally extending stop flanges 24. Stop flanges engage the rear side edges of the upper ends I 2' of frame member I8 and limit the forwardly extending or tilting movement of drawer front I1 on its hinged mounting on the drawer, as well as support the drawer front in its forwardly extending position. Brackets 23 are held in sliding engagement with the upper ends I2' of frame mem-1 ber I8, by means of arcuate slots4 25 formed in the brackets and guide pins 25 extending through slots 25 having heads at the outerends, while the inner ends are mounted on the lower end portions I2' of frame member I 0.

A lever mounting plate 21 is mounted on one side wall 1 of the drawer near the rear end and has an actuating'or operating lever 28-pivotally secured thereto at 29 intermediate its ends. The upper end of lever 28 is provided with a roller 30 while the opposite end has one end of a link 3| Ipivotally connected thereto with the opposite end pivotally connected at 32 to one of the bracket members 23 as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The lever 28 and link 3| extend outside ofthe drawer along one side wall 'I.`

A cam member 33 is mounted in the compartment in the casing and may be suitably formed of a plate secured to a side wall of the casing. This cam plate has an angular edge portion provided with an angle 4member 34 -having a laterally extending inclined track35. The cam plate and track portion 35 is of a length preferably extending throughoutthe major portion of the length of the compartment in the cabinet. Track 35 has a horizontal rear end portion 36. This structure of cam member 33 providing track portion 35 with horizontal portion 36 has ,roller 30 on lever 28 in rolling contact thereon for rotating lever 28 on its pivot 29. i

Lever 28 andy cam member 33 are constructed and arranged when the drawer is in the closed position in Fig. 3 to have roller30 engage on horizontal track portion 36 at the rear end of the cam member. This track portion 36 will hold the upper end of the lever at one extremity of its pivotal movement to operate link 3i to move and hold drawer front I'I in an upright position with the sealing means on the drawer front interengaged in cooperative sealing relation with the' sealing means on the front of the cabinet.l

When it is desired to open the drawer it may be manually withdrawn from its compartment in the usual manner by pulling upon handle 22. As the drawer moves toward its position out of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 1, roller 30 will ride along horizontal portion 38 during the first portion of the Amovement of the drawer, while sealing grooves and projections on the cabinet and drawer front are disengaged from one another.

clined track portion and as it rides upwardly' lever 28 rotates on its pivot and allows link 29 to move forwardly whereupon drawer front I I begins to tiltfrom the upright position ,forwardly about its hinge on the drawer. As the drawer progresses outwardly from its compartment, this tilting of the drawer front progresses with the movement of the drawer so that the drawer front will reach its forward and downward limit of tilting movement as the drawer reaches its outer limit of movement out of the compartment in the cabinet. The progression of tilting of the drawer front is therefore approximately the same or proportional to the progression ofthe drawer in operation between its limits of movement. It is found that this progressive operation of the drawer and drawer front in substantially equal ratio provides for smooth operation of the drawer and the front between the outer and inner positions of the drawer relative tothe casing or cabinet. l

As .the drawermis moved inwardly into the casing, roller 30 rides on inclined cam track 35. As the movement of the drawer progresses into the cabinet tiltable front I 1 is moved progressively toward the vertical or upright position on the drawer until it reaches the upright position shortly before the drawer reaches its rear limit of movement in the cabinet.

The purpose of having the drawer front reach the upright position before the drawer is moved entirely into the cabinet is for the purpose of positioning the drawer front s'o the sealing projections and grooves on the front of the cabinet and the margins of thedrawer front will be properly aligned for lnterengagement with one another. Then, as the drawer moves into its fully closed position vthe sealing means is effectively interengaged andthe drawer front is positively retained in the upright position by lever 28 and link 3I operating as above described.

With the drawer front tiltable forwardly as illustrated and describedfit will be appreciated that card index panels housed in the drawer, or

left in the forwardly inclined position supportedA4 by the drawer front when it is desiredto close the drawer, because the closing movement of the drawer in raising the drawer front to the upright position will move the files in the drawer to thev vertical position. g

It will be noted that "the hinge axis for the drawer lfront is in a plane approximately at the rear face of the drawer front so that with an insulated drawer front of the character shown in the drawings having aL substantial weight, the drawer front will readily swingvforwardly into its tilted position under the guidance of lever 28 and cam member 33 until iianges24 engage with the upper ends of frame member I0..

|This provides a cooperation with the drawer and the lever mechanism including the lever 28 and link 3l to obtain free movement of the drawer and the drawer front. The closing of the drawer and elevation of the drawer front into upright position through use of the lever means shown provides suiiicient leverage so the weight of the drawer front does not provide sucient resistance to the closing of the drawer to materially impede the closing operation.

It is to be understood that cam member 33 may have its lower edge Aextended and turned inwardly or provided with another angle member similar to member 34 in spaced parallel relation to mem- I. ber 34 and below it so that roller 30 may be held in substantial engagement with the track por- -tion 35 andlmore positive operation of the lever on its pivot thereby obtained. This additional structure is not illustrated in the drawings because it is believed to be suciently obvious from Fig. 5

as to how it may be carried out as to be unnecessary -of illustration.

I spring projected latch bolt 4I from engagement in a keeper indicated at 42 in Fig. 2 formed in the iront portion of the cabinet.

The latch bolt 4l is shown at the bottom of drawer' iront I1, although it may be applied to the to'p portion with the keeper at the top of the compartment in the cabinet. Latch bolt 4I has a beveled face so it will be cammed into front I1 as the drawer reaches the closed position when it The mechanism operated by lever 40 for operating latch bolt 4I may be any conventional form of drawer latch mechanism well known in the art in view of which further illustration and description is believed to be unnecessary.

Another latching or locking mechanism is also used for retaining the drawer in closed position. This locking mechanism includes a drawer carried member 42 shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4 formed with a projection 43 adapted to be en- -gaged when the drawer is in closed position by catch 44 pivotally mounted on bracket 45 and When projection 43 engages in recess 49 o f the latch, spring 46 will project the latch into its normal position as shown lin Fig. 1 and effectively lock the drawer in closed position in the cabinet.

The pivotal mounting ofthe latch with the spring 46 operating to retain it in normal position. allows the latch to move on its pivot under the operation of projection 43 and when the latch is set in the locking position and the drawer is open, it will not interfere with the closing of the drawer.

Bracket 45 is mounted on a locking bar 59 slidably supported by channel member 5| mounted on the side wall of the casing and imbedded in the insulating lining 2. Retaining strip 52 mounted on channel bar 5l serves to retain locking bar 50 in sliding engagement in the channel bar. Channel bar 5I .and locking bar 50 are provided to extend from the top portion to the bottom portion of the cabinet where it may contain more than one drawer, while a bracket 45 with the catch 44 is provided for each drawerand is mounted -in the same relative position in each drawer compartment as that shown in Fig. l. In this way, locking bar 59 will carry a Vlatch for locking each drawer in closed position.

Locking bar 50 is shown in the inoperative position in Fig. 1 so that when any drawer in the cabinet is closed, projection 43 will be below catch 44 and will not be engaged. By moving locking bar 5I) downwardly, catch 44 will beplaced in operative position to engage projection 43 and retain it in. recess 49. This is accomplished by having a'lever 53 carried by shaft'54 rotatably mounted in a supporting bracket 55` shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and mounted in the side wall of the cabinet in a recess provided in insulating lining 2.

- The free end of lever 53 is provided with a pin 56 engaging in a slot 51 in bar 5U. A lever 58 is 4mounted on the opposite end of shaft 54 and has an operating link 59 pivotally connected with the free end thereof. The opposite end of operating link 59 is slidably supported in guide bracket 69 mounted in the sidewall of the cabinet and is attached to a key controlled combination lock 6l slidably mounted in the extensions 62 on guide bracket 66. yThis lockhas a laterally extending lock pin 63 that is projected by the key operated mechanism to engage in notch 64 of extension 62 on guide bracket 60 in the locked position of the parts. v

In the locked position of the parts, lock member 6I is moved to its rearmost position in guide brackets 60 so that pin 63 will engage in notch 64 in extension 62. This moves operating link 59 rearwardly or to the left as shown in Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings and rotates arm 59 in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 6. This rotation. of arm 58 rotates shaft 54 and lever 53 and moves lock bar 54 downwardly in its guide channel 5|. 50 by this operation positions locking latch 44 in line with projection 43 on the. drawer carriedl The downward movement of lock barA position ln the cabinet. When the drawer is -by the cabinet as above described or locked in the' cabinet by latch 'u the swung v grooves on the drawer front will operatively encabinet.

By operation of the key operated mechanism, of' conventional'form contained inlock m'ember 6|, locking p in 63 may bewithdrawn from notch 64 and spring 65 surrounding operating link 59 between theV rear end of lock memb'er 6| will operate to project lock member v6| outwardly or forwardly in the bracket and move levers 53 and 58 in a counter-clockwise ,directionv toraise lock bar 50 upwardly in itsy guide channel 5I and .elevate catch 44 above Vprojection 43-on drawer carried member I2.

In this way latch M will be moved out of engagement-with projection 43 and the drawer or drawers in the cabinet controlled by this latching mechanism will then be operative so they can be moved to open position. In this condition of the parts the drawer front latch device including the handle M and latch pawl 4I will bevoperative to normally hold the drawer in closed position and provide for individual operationy of any one of a series of drawers to open position while those not being used are retained by the latch on the drawer front, in closed position, in the manner above described. It is to be understood that in the use of-the term latching means in referring to a device for holding the drawer in closed position that either the latching device carried by the drawer front or the locking device carried an equivalent mechanism thereto is contemplated by this terminology when used in the claims. -What is claimed is:

1.7A Illing cabinet, comprising a casing, a drawer mounted forl movement into and out of said casing, a tiltable front hinged on the front edge of said drawer movable'between upright and tilted positions; and means on the drawer and casing continuously and automatically operable in the movementY of said drawer in and out .of said casing -forgmoving said front between said upright and tilted positions at the opposite limits of movement of said drawer.

2. A filing cabinetpcomprising `a casing, a

drawer mounted for movement into 'and out of said casing,.a tiltable front hingedly mounted on the front edge of said drawer movablebetween upright and tilted positions, linkage mechanism on the drawer independent of the hinge and connected to said front, and cam means on the casing for continuously operating said linkage. mechanism to move said front from said tilted position to said upright position when the drawer is I moved .from open to` closed position in the cabinet.

3.,A ling cabinet, comprising a casing. a drawer mounted for movement into and out of said casing, a' tiltable front hinged along one edge to`said drawer movable between upright guide bracket 60 and.

drawer mounted for movement into and out o1' said casing, a tiltable front hinged at the lower edge to said drawer movable between upright and tilted positions, drawer-carried means for moving said -front, and means on parts carried by said casing,

drawer-carried means for operating said drawercarried means to' continuously move said front from the tilted position to the uprightposition as the drawer progresses in its movement from its outermost position to a position in the casing.

5. A illing cabinet, comprising va casing having a iront opening, a drawer mounted for movement into and out or said casing through said front opening, a tiltable iront hinged'along the lower edge on said drawer movable between upright and tiltedpositions, said front tting and forming a closure for said front opening in the casing in upright position with the drawer in the casing, and means for moving said front from tilted position when the drawer is out ofthe casing progressively with the travel of the drawer to upright position closing the opening insaid casing when the drawer is in the casing.

6. A ling cabinet, comprising a casing, a drawer mounted for movement into and out of said casing, a tiltable front on said drawer, an

relative to which said drawer is movable, formed for cooperation with said actuating lever pivoted on said drawer, a link Y ing the lever during the full cycle of movement of the drawer to progressively move said front from tilting to upright position as the drawer is moved into said casing.

7. A tiling cabinet', comprising a casing, a drawer mounted for movement into and out of said casing, a tiltable front on said drawer, a bracket mounted on said front, an actuating lever pivoted on said drawer, a link connecting the bracket and lever, and means on the casing for continuously operating said lever as the drawer is moved from its outer limit of movement to its inner limit of movement in said casing to raise said front from tilted to upright position.

8. A ling cabinet, comprising a casing having a lining of ilre resistant material, a drawer mounted for movement into and out.of said casing, a drawer front having re resistant material forming a part thereof hinged at its lower. rear edge portion to the front edge of said drawer and moving said front between said upright and tilted positions at the opposite limits of movement oi' said drawer. the weight of the re resistant material 'in said front being in advance of said hinge cooperating with said means to assist in moving said drawer in the opening movement thereof toward the open position.

GEORGE E. WATKINS. 

